Elizabeth (“Beth”) Graham is a principal at Grant & Eisenhofer. She leads the firm’s complex and mass tort litigation practice and serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Ms. Graham has spent most of her career as a plaintiffs’ lawyer advocating for the rights of individuals, families and small businesses harmed by large corporations.
Ms. Graham’s expertise spans the practice areas of mass tort, consumer fraud, product liability, environmental, business torts, and sexual assault and retaliation claims. She has served as Lead Counsel in multi-million dollar cases, has acted as a member of various Plaintiffs’ Executive Committees in complex actions, and has prior experience as national defense coordination counsel in product liability and environmental litigation.
Ms. Graham is actively representing thousands of injured victims in various cases against corporations, including pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, public utility and tech companies. Ms. Graham is Liaison Counsel, a member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee, and was a lead negotiator in the In re Essure Product Cases (JCCP 4887) settlement, which provided $1.6 billion in overall compensation to injured women. She was also Co-Lead class counsel in the In re Columbia Gas Explosion Cases (Mass. Sup. Ct.) where she was a principal negotiator of the recent $143 million class action settlement.
Most recently, Ms. Graham was appointed co-lead interim class counsel in the In re East Palestine Train Derailment cases, representing individuals harmed by the Norfolk Southern train derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio, which released a cloud of carcinogenic vinyl chloride into the surrounding area. Ms. Graham also currently serves in leadership as Liaison Counsel in California’s Gilead Tenofovir Cases and Coordinated Actions, JCCP No. 5043, representing thousands of people harmed by certain HIV drugs manufactured by California biotech giant Gilead Sciences. Ms. Graham is a PSC member in In re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2775), where she was also appointed to the Settlement Committee by the court. She served as Co-Lead on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and as Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee in In re Zofran (Ondansetron) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2657). She previously has served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2652); as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re Stryker LFIT V40 Femoral Head Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2768); and as co-chair of the Law & Briefing Committee for In re Xarelto Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2592). Additionally, Ms. Graham represents victims of the Paradise, California Wildfires (2018), victims of sexual assault, and families suffering as a result of environmental contamination and disasters.
Ms. Graham additionally represents a former female executive of dating app Tinder in her sexual assault and retaliation claims, including litigation of forced arbitration provisions.
Prior to joining G&E, Ms. Graham served on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and represented victims in the In re Sulzer Hip Prosthesis and Knee Prosthesis Liability Litigation (California JCCP No. 4165). She has served as Lead Counsel on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in high profile class actions such as Borman Automotive v. American Honda Motor Corp. (MDL No. 1069), which resulted in a $435 million settlement; and litigation against Chrysler based on its Minivan Doorlatch failures and ABS brake defects. She has also represented hundreds of families injured by environmental contaminants, including radon, arsenic and rocket fuel, resulting in confidential settlements in excess of $25 million. Ms. Graham also has vast experience as a consultant to other mass tort firms that seek her advice in structuring their cases.
Ms. Graham is an accomplished speaker, often presenting at educational programs sponsored by the American Association for Justice (AAJ); Mass Torts Made Perfect; Harris Martin; and Masters of Mass Tort. Additionally, Ms. Graham is Co-Chair of the AAJ Zofran Litigation Group, and is a member of AAJ’s Publications Committee. She is the author of “Navigating Drug & Device Settlements,” published in the May 2023 issue of Trial magazine, and co-author of “Medical Monitoring,” published in the July 2018 issue of Trial as well as “Overcome the Clear Evidence Defense,” published in Trial’s July 2016 issue.
In 2023, Ms. Graham was granted attorney accreditation with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2021, Ms. Graham was named to Law360’s annual “Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar.” In 2018, Ms. Graham was selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement award by America’s Top 100 Attorneys®.
Prior to her representation of injured individuals, Ms. Graham worked for large product liability defense firms as national defense counsel and was a partner at prominent San Francisco Bay area law firms.
Education:
St. John’s University School of Law, J.D., St. Thomas More Scholar (1989)
St. John’s University, B.A. (1987)
Admissions:
California, United States Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Central District of CA, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of CA, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of CA, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of CA